Merry Crisis and a Happy New Fear: Gloomy photos show Times Square closed to NYE revelers for the first time in HISTORY - as New Yorkers ring in 2021 amid second wave of COVID-19 infections and soaring rates of violent crime
Times Square is usually at the center of the world's New Year's Eve celebrations, with tens of thousands of people packing in to the commercial hub every December 31st to watch the ball drop at midnight.
But, this year, the time-honored tradition has been modified amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, with members of the public prohibited from gathering in the area for the first time since the ball-drop began back in 1907.
On Thursday afternoon - just hours out from the start of 2021 - Times Square was eerily empty, with the area cordoned off to the public and police patrolling nearby sidewalks to enforce social distancing.
Gray skies and rain added to the foreboding mood as the New Year approaches amid a series of ongoing crises for New York City.
The Big Apple is battling against a second wave of COVID-19 infections, as well as soaring rates of violent crime, an uptick in closing businesses, and a drastic drop in revenue.
Hopes for a brighter 2021 have been dampened by news of a dismally slow roll-out of the coronavirus vaccine, with a paltry 29.7 percent of available doses administered across New York as of Wednesday.
New Year's Eve celebrations in Times Square have been cancelled for the first time since they began back in 1907
On Thursday afternoon - just hours out from the start of 2021 - Times Square was eerily empty, with the area cordoned off to the public and police patrolling nearby sidewalks to enforce social distancing
Gray skies and rain added to the foreboding mood as the New Year approaches amid a series of ongoing crises for New York City and the United States as a whole
Only members of the media and invited first responders will be allowed into the area, and they will have to stand socially distanced
The way we were! Revelers are seen packing in to Times Square on December 31 2019. Party goers could not predict that the world would soon be turned upside down
The time-honored tradition has been going since 1907. New Yorkers are pictured in Times Square on New Year's Eve 1939
New Year's Eve celebrations first began in Times Square back in 1907, and people have gathered there every year since.
Even in 2001, less than four months after the September 11 terrorist attacks, crowds converged upon the commercial strip to celebrate the start of a New Year.
But this year, officials have officially barred the public from moving in. The only people allowed into the area are media and invited first responders who have been hailed as the 'Heroes of 2020'.
However, the ball drop will still go ahead and people are encouraged to watch the event virtually. Performances will also still take place, albeit without an audience.
Jennifer Lopez, Miley Cyrus and Megan Thee Stallion are set to take to the stage as part of the festivities.
Masked police officers are making sure members of the public do not breach barricaded areas and that they remain socially distanced on nearby sidewalks
Dozens of cops are seen outside the Times Square subway station on New Year's Eve
Security was tight in the vicinity, with only a select number of people allowed into the cordoned off area
The roads were quiet in Midtown Manhattan in the lead up to 2021 as New Yorkers stay home amid a second wave of COVID infections
However, for many weary New Yorkers, there does not seem much to celebrate.
On Wednesday, The Big Apple reported its highest ever daily increase in coronavirus cases, with nearly 6,000 new infections confirmed across the five boroughs.
Hospitalizations and deaths are also increasing at an alarming rate. Gov. Andrew Cuomo is now preparing to reopen the Javits Center field hospital, designed to treat an infux of COVID cases.
As the pandemic stretches into its tenth month, there appears to be no end in sight.
New York has struggled to administer doses of the new coronavirus vaccines quickly and effectively, even as the number of new infections starts to surge.
On Wednesday, New York state had administered just 29.7 percent of all available doses.
Elsewhere, violent crime is soaring amid $1 billion cuts to the New York Police Department. Shootings, rapes and murders are all up when compared with the same figures from 2019.
Indoor dining also remains closed for the time being, as many restaurant owners who survived the first round of lockdown restrictions face an uncertain future.
Still, there were some optimists who managed to brave a smile and stop for a photo near Times Square late Thursday, figuring that the New Year can't be any worse than the one being left behind.
There were some optimists who managed to brave a smile and stop for a photo near Times Square late Thursday figuring that the New Year can't be any worse than the one being left behind
A family snapped a selfie near the sealed-off Times Square area on New Year's Eve
Some smiling locals chose to celebrate the fact 2020 was over, and hoped for a better year ahead